Huge digital data breaches in digital privacy history currently, marketers tracing each step online, exploring the content you shared on social media – a list of digital irritants goes on. But, it’s not fully hopeless: you have a control over your privacy. Here’s how you can improve your digital privacy.

1. Check for privacy settings on social media

If you own the accounts on social media, these networks have a large amount of info regarding you and you may get amazed by how much of that is visible for everybody on internet. This is the reason why it is recommended to check the data privacy digital health settings: it’s you who decide what information to be shared with stranger and with friends – or even with none. Change your account settings on social networks from public to private for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and twitter specially.

2. Never use the public storages for your private information

Sharing the info with everyone is considered as over sharing and it is not restricted to the social networks only. Never use the online services which are meant to share info for storing your own private data. For instance, digital privacy alert google on google docs can be an ideal location for storing your lists of passwords or Dropbox can’t an excellent venue for putting the passport scans un till they are stored in the encrypted archives. Never use these services because they are basically meant to share the data online.

3. Avoid tracking

As you visit some site online, your browser may disclose the whole bunch of the stuff regarding your browsing history and you. Marketers make use of this info from your profiles and then target you using ads. The Incognito mode can’t actually avoid such tracking: special tool must be used. Make use of private browsing and digital ethics and privacy Gartner like Kaspersky internet security for avoiding digital privacy tracking.

4. Keep your important e-mail addresses and phone numbers private

Your reward of sharing your highly personal email addresses phone numbers is the loads of spams in the email inboxes and thousands of robocalls on the phone. Though you try of avoiding the sharing of info with online services and stores, never share your info with random users on the social networks. Also think of making a disposable and separate email address, and if needed, a separate contact number for such cases. Make an extra email id and buy an extra sim card for using for the online shopping or other conditions which need sharing of data with random people.

5. Use the messaging apps that have end-to-end encryption

Many latest messaging apps have end-to-end encryption, however in a lot of cases what they say encryption is a transit – messages get decrypted on side of providers and are kept on the servers. What happens when these servers get hacked and use their digital privacy humor in actual? Never take such risk – go for end-to-end encryption – in that way, even service provider of messaging can’t view your messages. You can use the messaging apps having end-to-end encryption easily like WhatsApp; also note that by default, telegram, google allo, and Facebook Messenger do not utilize the end-to-end encryption. For enabling it, start the secret chat end-to-end encryption.

6. Using secure passwords

Utilizing the weak passwords isn’t good for protecting the digital health privacy as well as shouting the info for passersby. This is actually impossible to remember unique and long passwords for every service you use, however by using the password management, it is possible to memorize only one key or master password. Use the long passwords everywhere (12 or more characters) and make them different for every service. Also you can use the Kaspersky password manager for having secured passwords at hand.

7. Review your permissions for browser extensions and mobile apps

Mobile apps can prompt you for giving them permissions for accessing files or contacts in your device storage and for using geo locations, microphone, camera etc. Few really can’t operate without getting these permission, however few utilize this info for profiling you to market or worse. Luckily, it is easy relatively easier to control the apps which are provided which permissions. This thing stands similarly for the browser extensions, that also own an unfortunate spying tendency. Review these permissions which you provide to the mobile apps. You can do this for both iOS and android. Never install the browser extension until you actually require them. Check the permissions carefully before giving them.

8. Secure your smart phone and PC with passcodes or passwords

Your phones and PCs have a huge amount of data you’d rather kept private, thus protect it using passwords. The passwords never have to be very unique or complex, however they must keep the strangers out. On smart phones, perform a little better: use actual passwords or 6-digit PIN instead of 4 digits or screen locks. For other devices which have biometric authentication — face unlock or fingerprint reading — which is ok generally, but always remember that such technologies have also some limitations for breaking digital health privacy laws. Use biometric authentication or passwords to lock the tablets, phones, and computers.

9. Disable notifications for lock screen

If you leave notifications on for your hp digital privacy screen, any passerby will be able to see them. For keeping that info from getting appeared on your lock screen, set up the notifications correctly. Hide or disable the lock-screen notifications and other sensitive info from your lock screen.

10. Stay private on the Wi-Fi networks

The Public Wi-Fi networks generally don’t have encrypted traffic not good for your digital privacy and hackers find it easier to breach in. And this means that anyone using them can tend to snoop over that traffic. Avoid spreading your sensitive data — like logins, credit card info, passwords, and so on — on public Wi-Fi. Use a VPN for encrypting your digital privacy and protect this from the prying eyes. If you need to use the public network, always use the secured VPN connection.

Everyone is aware of the rapid technological advancement, since the evolution of the Internet in the 1980s. As fast as they can grasp the know-how on Internet use, many ventures into the Information Technology industry to further develop and enhance the functionalities of the Internet. Right now, our network providers can support us with at least 4G networking, while trying to upgrade this 4G to the next level at 5G. Not only that the networks are improving, software developers, including browser developers, are also always on the go to improve and cater to the public a more secure and privacy-protected browser for our everyday use. This is not only to protect our data and information that we upload online but also to give us a piece of assurance that those data are in safe hands.

Importance of Data Security and Protection

Many of us, especially those who may not be technology-savvy, may not be aware of the consequences of us having to upload our important personal information and data online. We just enter our information online for our convenience’s sake. In addition, we prefer our login credentials stored in our virtual storage directly, so that we do not have to remember that many different login credentials for different websites. The existence of the Internet gives us too much convenience, sometimes so much that most people forget the importance of protecting themselves against threats, especially when it is in the virtual world. Hence, cybercrime occurrences have been increasing tremendously within the past few years, and still ongoing currently, as reported in the major news broadcasting agencies worldwide. With the increasing potential vulnerability is seen in cybersecurity, data security and protection are nowadays an emphasized trend for all to follow to safeguard their precious personal data and information from being stolen.

Public Web Browsers

When comes to online surfing on the Internet, a lot of us will just be reminded to click on any existing browsers like Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, etc. to search for the information needed or to visit any websites that we will like to view. Such web browsers’ settings are allocated as public, which the security level is not that protective and secure as expected. Not to say that these public web browsers do not have a standard security level, which in fact they do, but it may not be good enough to prevent cybercrimes from happening and to avoid online uploaded data and information from being stolen by cyber thieves or hackers. Public web browsers usually allow hidden cookies to be stored in your virtual system, without you knowing, and some even have in-built trackers that can go in-depth of our computers and retrieve out any information that we have stored in any websites that we visit, especially on the internet banking and government authority websites. Whatever we do on the computer system or electronic device itself, the information entered will be automatically traced through our IP address, iPhone, Android operating system, routers, and many more. So, you may be wondering right now if there are any alternatives that we can choose to use to safeguard ourselves from all these cyber threats and crimes? Well, as a matter of fact, we do have alternatives to be used to protect ourselves from being a victim of such cyber crimes and threats. The alternative is to use private web browsers.

Private Web Browsers

Private web browsers are not commonly used by many, as they may not be aware of these private web browsers’ existences. Most of the existing public web browsers are also embedded with a small function for users to go private while doing their online surfing on the Internet. In other words, private browsers are in fact available on computers, regardless of laptops or desktops. The reasons for such browsers not often used are that not many people know how to start operating a private browser and there is no such private browser shortcut to be found on their electronic devices.

Many are skeptical about using private browsers. Some of the doubting questions can be anticipated as below:

1. Can private browsing be traced through routers?
2. Can private browsing be traced on the iPhone?
3. Does private browsing really block IP address?
4. Are private browsers really private?
5. Do private browsing work on any electronic devices?

As stated earlier, most web browsers like Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, etc., have both public and private web browsing functions. Some may name it different as incognito tabs, while others like UR Browser prefer to remain naming as private browsers. This kind of functionality in UR Browser is slightly different from the other incognito browsers. It is dedicated to serve and protect users on data privacy and security during their Internet surfing sessions. UR Browser caters and focuses their web browsers on privacy so that their users can fully enjoy the benefits of secure Internet surfing times, without worrying on any security breach, stolen data or identity theft incidents.

Additionally, users get to receive their downloaded files four times faster than other existing incognito browsers in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and many more. Not only that, but users also can find all their downloaded files in one common download manager bar. Furthermore, these private browsers that UR Browser provides to users can be customized to be decorated according to users’ preferences and likings. On top of that, websites can be saved as favourites for users to organize according to their activities or places and gain faster access to the necessary portals. Real news reports will be displayed as Homepage screen on UR Browser private browsers; users will no longer be touching base with fake news that is circulating like wildfire on social media platforms.

The one most important factor with UR Browser is that the data visited or entered on these private browsers are highly protected and regulated by the European Union (EU) laws. Hence, users can be rest assured that their data is stored virtually in an absolute safe virtual storage and even if there may have any mishap incidents, users can utilize their rights that are aligned with the EU regulations. So, to be protected against all these cyber threats and crimes, UR Browser will be your ultimate weapon to defeat all.